In a principal aspect the present invention comprises a luggage handle and, more particularly, a luggage handle which may be used in combination with the pull bar of a wheeled luggage case or other luggage item having a pull handle.
Movement of luggage, especially with respect to airline travel, is often hampered by the awkwardness or cumbersome arrangement of luggage pull handles particularly on wheeled luggage. Various solutions have been proposed to accommodate such a challenge to travelers, and numerous patents tasks have been issued which disclose arrangements for transport of luggage and movement of luggage on wheels by means of a pull handle. Following is a listing of patents directed to this topic and related topics:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,474, published Apr. 4, 1972, Rolling Luggage, Sadow;
2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,172, published Oct. 21, 1975, Detachable Hand-Grip for Shopping Bags, Richards, deceased, et al.;
3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,872, published Dec. 9, 1975, Luggage with Pull Device, Sollazzi et al.;
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,838, published Sep. 19, 1978, Carrier for Skis and Ski Poles, Knauf;
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,542, published Sep. 6, 1983, Implement for Carrying Wheels and Tires for Motor Vehicles, Kreutzer; and
6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,896, published Dec. 17, 1985, Handle, Farnsworth;
7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,863, published Mar. 15, 1988, Apparatus for Carrying Clothing Suspended on a Coat Hangar, Guadnola;
8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,396, published Jun. 13, 1989, Luggage Handle, Krenzel;
9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,691, published Feb. 25, 1992, Active and Passive Handle for Exercise Device, Pollock;
10. U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,002, published Apr. 11, 1995, Protective Bag for Transportation of River Running Boats, Troia;
11. U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,870, published Oct. 22, 1996, Auxiliary Carrying Handle for Golf Bags, Mejeur;
12. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,672, published Jan. 6, 1998, Stand-up Snow Shovel with Flexible Auxiliary Handle, Sims et al.;
13. U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,118, published Mar. 3, 1998, Handle Conversion Apparatus, Hansen et al.; and
14. U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,853, published Mar. 9, 1999, Luggage Pull, DeRouen et al.
While the proposed patent solutions offer various advantages depending upon the environment, there still remains the need for an improved travel or luggage handle device which is light weight, compact, easily accessed, installable whenever needed on new and old luggage, and storable. It is these objectives, among others, which have inspired the development of the present luggage handle or luggage travel handle device.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a molded handle which is typically comprised of three equal sides in the form of a triangle with one side forming a hand grip and the other two sides connected from the hand grip and joined together at an apex. The apex defines a mounting platform for first and second latch members. The first latch member is attached to the apex of the handle. The second latch member is detachable from the first member mounted on the handle and is adapted to receive a strap connected from the handle apex through the second latch member. The strap length is adjustable. The strap may be fitted around a luggage pull bar and attached to the handle by the engagement of the latch members. The strap may then be twisted 90 degrees or more to allow the luggage item to be pulled by the handle which is oriented by its user in a comfortable position. The handle includes an ergonomically designed hand grip which enhances comfortable use of the handle.
Thus it is an object of the invention to provide an improved luggage handle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a luggage handle made from a molded plastic material which can be easily attached and detached from luggage pulls such as the pull handle associated with the telescoping handle of a wheeled bag.
Another object of the invention is to provide a luggage handle which is compact and which may be easily attached and detached from a luggage pull handle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a luggage handle which provides for balance with respect to pulling luggage items by attachment to a telescoping pull bar of luggage.
Another object of the invention is to provide a luggage handle which is inexpensive, rugged, easy to use, and which accommodates use by persons of different physical stature and height as well as luggage items having a wide variance of configurations and pull handles.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be set forth in a detailed description which follows.